WHAT GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS DOING:

Sour Cherry Pie (Marlene Parrish, 2/18/07, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Make this American favorite when sour cherries are in season. Any other time, used frozen or canned sour pie cherries.

* Pastry for a 9-inch pie with lattice crust or double crust
* 5 cups pitted sour cherries
* 1/2 cup cherry juice
* 3/4 cup sugar, or to taste
* 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
* Pinch salt
* 1 tablespoon butter
* Vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make your own pastry or have packaged pie crusts at the ready.

Drain cherries well, saving 1/2 cup juice. Mix the cherries, reserved juice, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice if using, almond extract and salt. Set aside.

Line the pie pan with bottom pastry. Transfer the cherry filling into the pie shell. Filling will be thin. Dot with butter.

Moisten the edge of the pastry with water, and add the top crust, pressing down at the edge. Crimp the edge.

Place pie on a drip pan (a pizza pan is good) and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake 45-60 minutes or until the pie juices have bubbled for 10 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.

Allow the pie to come to room temperature before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream.